Electrostatic chuck having thermally isolated zones with minimal crosstalk

ABSTRACT

A substrate support assembly includes a ceramic puck and a thermally conductive base having an upper surface that is bonded to a lower surface of the ceramic puck. Trenches are formed in the thermally conductive base approximately concentric around a center of the thermally conductive base. The trenches extend from the upper surface towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base without contacting the lower surface of the thermally conductive base. The thermally conductive base includes thermal zones. The substrate support assembly further includes a thermally insulating material disposed in the trenches. The thermally insulating material in a trench of the trenches provides a degree of thermal isolation between two of the thermal zones separated by the trench at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/595,870, filed May 15, 2017, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 14/268,994 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,666,466, on May 30, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/820,596 filed on May 7, 2013, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to an electrostatic chuck having multiple thermally isolated zones with minimal crosstalk.

BACKGROUND

Electrostatic chucks are used to support substrates during processing. One function of an electrostatic chuck is to regulate a temperature of the supported substrate. To facilitate such temperature regulation, the electrostatic chucks may have multiple different zones, and each zone may be tuned to a different temperature. However, conventional electrostatic chucks may exhibit significant crosstalk between zones. In an example, assume that there are two adjacent zones in an electrostatic chuck, where a first zone is heated to 15° C. and the second zone is heated to 25° C. Crosstalk between these two zones may cause a relatively large portion of the first zone to actually have a temperature that is greater than 15° C. due to a proximity to the second zone. The level of crosstalk exhibited by conventional electrostatic chucks can be too high for some applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that different references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

FIG. 1 depicts a sectional view of one embodiment of a processing chamber.

FIG. 2 depicts a cross sectional side view of one embodiment of an electrostatic chuck.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating crosstalk between thermal zones of some example electrostatic chucks.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional side view of an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional side view of an electrostatic chuck assembly stack.

FIG. 8 illustrates a process for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Described herein are embodiments of an electrostatic chuck having a thermally conductive base (also called a cooling plate) with multiple thermal zones that are approximately thermally isolated from one another. The different thermal zones are separated by thermal isolators (also called thermal breaks) that extend from an upper surface of the thermally conductive base towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base. The thermal isolators may be filled with silicone, vacuum, or other thermally insulating material. Alternatively, the thermal isolators may be vented to atmosphere. The thermal isolators reduce crosstalk between thermal zones of the electrostatic chuck by as much as 50% as compared to traditional electrostatic chucks.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a semiconductor processing chamber 100 having a substrate support assembly 148 disposed therein. The processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102 and a lid 104 that enclose an interior volume 106. The chamber body 102 may be fabricated from aluminum, stainless steel or other suitable material. The chamber body 102 generally includes sidewalls 108 and a bottom 110. An outer liner 116 may be disposed adjacent the side walls 108 to protect the chamber body 102. The outer liner 116 may be fabricated and/or coated with a plasma or halogen-containing gas resistant material. In one embodiment, the outer liner 116 is fabricated from aluminum oxide. In another embodiment, the outer liner 116 is fabricated from or coated with yttria, yttrium alloy or an oxide thereof.

An exhaust port 126 may be defined in the chamber body 102, and may couple the interior volume 106 to a pump system 128. The pump system 128 may include one or more pumps and throttle valves utilized to evacuate and regulate the pressure of the interior volume 106 of the processing chamber 100.

The lid 104 may be supported on the sidewall 108 of the chamber body 102. The lid 104 may be opened to allow access to the interior volume 106 of the processing chamber 100, and may provide a seal for the processing chamber 100 while closed. A gas panel 158 may be coupled to the processing chamber 100 to provide process and/or cleaning gases to the interior volume 106 through a gas distribution assembly 130 that is part of the lid 104. Examples of processing gases may be used to process in the processing chamber including halogen-containing gas, such as C₂F₆, SF₆, SiCl₄, HBr, NF₃, CF₄, CHF₃, CH₂F₃, Cl₂ and SiF₄, among others, and other gases such as O₂, or N₂O. Examples of carrier gases include N₂, He, Ar, and other gases inert to process gases (e.g., non-reactive gases). The gas distribution assembly 130 may have multiple apertures 132 on the downstream surface of the gas distribution assembly 130 to direct the gas flow to the surface of the substrate 144. Additionally, or alternatively, the gas distribution assembly 130 can have a center hole where gases are fed through a ceramic gas nozzle. The gas distribution assembly 130 may be fabricated and/or coated by a ceramic material, such as silicon carbide, yttria, etc. to provide resistance to halogen-containing chemistries to prevent the gas distribution assembly 130 from corrosion.

The substrate support assembly 148 is disposed in the interior volume 106 of the processing chamber 100 below the gas distribution assembly 130. The substrate support assembly 148 holds the substrate 144 during processing. An inner liner 118 may be coated on the periphery of the substrate support assembly 148. The inner liner 118 may be a halogen-containing gas resist material such as those discussed with reference to the outer liner 116. In one embodiment, the inner liner 118 may be fabricated from the same materials of the outer liner 116.

In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 148 includes a mounting plate 162 supporting a pedestal 152, and an electrostatic chuck 150. The electrostatic chuck 150 further includes a thermally conductive base 164 bonded to a ceramic body (referred to as an electrostatic puck 166 or ceramic puck) via a bond 138. The electrostatic puck 166 may be fabricated by a ceramic material such as aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃). The mounting plate 162 is coupled to the bottom 110 of the chamber body 102 and includes passages for routing utilities (e.g., fluids, power lines, sensor leads, etc.) to the thermally conductive base 164 and the electrostatic puck 166. In one embodiment, the mounting plate 162 includes a plastic plate, a facilities plate and a cathode base plate.

The thermally conductive base 164 and/or electrostatic puck 166 may include one or more optional embedded heating elements 176, embedded thermal isolators 174 and/or conduits 168, 170 to control a lateral temperature profile of the support assembly 148. The thermal isolators 174 (also referred to as thermal breaks) extend from an upper surface of the thermally conductive base 164 towards the lower surface of the thermally conductive base 164, as shown. The conduits 168, 170 may be fluidly coupled to a fluid source 172 that circulates a temperature regulating fluid through the conduits 168, 170.

The embedded thermal isolator 174 may be disposed between the conduits 168, 170 in one embodiment. The heater 176 is regulated by a heater power source 178. The conduits 168, 170 and heater 176 may be utilized to control the temperature of the thermally conductive base 164, thereby heating and/or cooling the electrostatic puck 166 and a substrate (e.g., a wafer) being processed. The temperature of the electrostatic puck 166 and the thermally conductive base 164 may be monitored using a plurality of temperature sensors 190, 192, which may be monitored using a controller 195.

The electrostatic puck 166 may further include multiple gas passages such as grooves, mesas, sealing bands (e.g., an outer sealing band (OSB) and/or an inner sealing band (ISB)) and other surface features, which may be formed in an upper surface of the electrostatic puck 166. The gas passages may be fluidly coupled to a source of a thermally conductive gas, such as He via holes drilled in the puck 166. In operation, the gas may be provided at controlled pressure into the gas passages to enhance the heat transfer between the electrostatic puck 166 and the substrate 144.

The electrostatic puck 166 includes at least one clamping electrode 180 controlled by a chucking power source 182. The electrode 180 (or other electrode disposed in the puck 166 or base 164) may further be coupled to one or more RF power sources 184, 186 through a matching circuit 188 for maintaining a plasma formed from process and/or other gases within the processing chamber 100. The sources 184, 186 are generally capable of producing RF signal having a frequency from about 50 kHz to about 3 GHz and a power of up to about 10,000 Watts.

FIG. 2 depicts a cross sectional side view of a portion of the electrostatic chuck 150. The portion of the electrostatic chuck 150 includes a region between a center 214 of the electrostatic chuck 150 and an outer perimeter 216 of the electrostatic chuck 150. The term center of the electrostatic check 150 is used here to refer to the center of the electrostatic chuck 150 in a plane that is coplanar with a surface of the electrostatic chuck 150. The electrostatic chuck 150 includes the electrostatic puck 166 and the thermally conductive base 164 attached to the electrostatic puck 166. The electrostatic puck 166 is bonded to the thermally conductive base 164 by a bond 212. The bond 212 may be a silicone bond, or may include another bonding material. For example, the bond 212 may include a thermal conductive paste or tape having at least one of an acrylic based compound and silicone based compound. Example bonding materials include a thermal conductive paste or tape having at least one of an acrylic based compound and silicone based compound with metal or ceramic fillers mixed or added thereto. The metal filler may be at least one of Al, Mg, Ta, Ti, or combination thereof and the ceramic filler may be at least one of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium diboride (TiB₂) or combination thereof.

The electrostatic puck 166 has a disc-like shape having an annular periphery that may substantially match the shape and size of a substrate positioned thereon. An upper surface of the electrostatic puck 166 may have numerous surface features (not shown). The surface features may include an outer sealing band (OSB), an inner sealing band (ISB), multiple mesas, and channels between the mesas. In one embodiment, the electrostatic puck 166 includes no ridges. Alternatively, the electrostatic puck 166 may include one or both of an ISB and an OSB. The electrostatic puck 166 may also include multiple holes through which a thermally conductive gas such as helium may be pumped.

The thermally conductive base 164 attached below the electrostatic puck 166 may have a disc-like main portion. In one embodiment, the thermally conductive base 164 is fabricated by a metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel or other suitable materials. Alternatively, the thermally conductive base 164 may be fabricated by a composite of ceramic and metal material providing good strength and durability as well as heat transfer properties. The composite material may have a thermal expansion coefficient that is substantially matched to the overlying puck 166 in one embodiment to reduce thermal expansion mismatch. The electrostatic puck 166 may be a ceramic material such as MN or Al₂O₃, and may have an electrode (not illustrated) embedded therein.

In one embodiment, the electrostatic chuck 150 is divided into four thermal zones 218, 220, 222 and 224. A first thermal zone 218 extends from the center 214 of the electrostatic chuck 150 to a first thermal isolator 234. A second thermal zone 220 extends from the first thermal isolator 234 to a second thermal isolator 235. A third thermal zone 222 extends from the second thermal isolator 235 to a third thermal isolator 236. A fourth thermal zone extends from the third thermal isolator 236 to the perimeter 216 of the electrostatic chuck 150. In alternative embodiments, electrostatic chucks may be divided into greater or fewer thermal zones. For example, two thermal zones, three thermal zones, five thermal zones, or another number of thermal zones may be used.

Each of the thermal zones 218, 220, 222, 224 includes one or more conduits 226, 228, 230, 232 (also referred to as cooling channels). The conduits 226, 228, 230, 232 may each be connected to a separate fluid delivery line and through the separate fluid delivery line to a separate set point chiller. A set point chiller is a refrigeration unit that circulates a fluid such as a coolant. The set point chillers may deliver fluid having a controlled temperature through the conduits 226, 228, 230, 232, and may control the flow rate of the fluid. Accordingly, the set point chillers may control the temperature of the conduits 226, 228, 230, 232 and the thermal zones 218, 220, 222, 224 containing those conduits.

The different thermal zones 218, 220, 222, 224 may be maintained at different temperatures. For example, the first thermal zone 218, second thermal zone 220 and fourth thermal zone 224 are shown at 25° C. The third thermal zone 222 is shown at 15° C. The thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 provide an increased degree or amount of thermal isolation between the different thermal zones, and minimize crosstalk between the thermal zones. The thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 may provide approximate thermal isolation between thermal zones. Accordingly, some crosstalk (e.g., heat transfer) may occur between thermal zones. The thermal isolators extend from an upper surface of the thermally conductive base 164 (at the interface with the bond 212) approximately vertically into the thermally conductive base 164. The thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 extend from the upper surface towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base 164, and may have various depths into the thermally conductive base 164. Because the thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 extend to the upper surface of the thermally conductive base 164, they minimize heat flux between the thermal zones within the electrostatic puck 166.

In one embodiment, thermal isolator 234 is 30 mm from a center of the electrostatic chuck 150, thermal isolator 235 is 90 mm from the center of the electrostatic chuck 150, and thermal isolator 236 is 134 mm from the center of the electrostatic chuck. Alternatively, the thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 may be located at different distances from the center of the electrostatic chuck 150. For example, thermal isolator 234 may be located 20-40 mm from the center of the electrostatic chuck 150, thermal isolator 235 may be located 80-100 mm from the center of the electrostatic chuck 150, and thermal isolator 236 may be located 120-140 mm from the center of the electrostatic chuck 150.

A first temperature gradient 240 is shown at the interface between the second thermal zone 220 and the third thermal zone 222 in the electrostatic puck 166. The first temperature gradient 240 has a high temperature of 25° C. at a first end 242 and a low temperature of 15° C. at a second end 244. Similarly, a second temperature gradient 250 is shown at the interface between the third thermal zone 222 and the fourth thermal zone 224 in the electrostatic puck 166. The second temperature gradient 250 has a low temperature of 15° C. at a first end 252 and a high temperature of 25° C. at a second end 254. Crosstalk between thermal zones (shown in the temperature gradients) is considerably less as compared to traditional electrostatic chucks. Such crosstalk may be reduced by around 50% as compared to traditional electrostatic chucks. For example, the increased temperature at the second thermal zone 220 may have a 50% lesser effect on the temperature of the third thermal zone 222 as compared to an electrostatic chuck in which thermal breaks extend from a bottom of the thermally conductive base.

The amount of crosstalk between adjacent zones may depend on a thickness of the electrostatic puck 166, a material composition of the electrostatic puck 166, whether thermally managed materials are used near the upper surface of the thermally conductive base 164, and the temperatures at which the adjacent thermal zones are maintained. Increasing the thickness of the electrostatic puck 166 may increase a crosstalk length, while decreasing the thickness may decrease the crosstalk length. Similarly, increasing the temperature difference between thermal zones may increase the crosstalk length, while reducing the temperature differences may reduce the crosstalk length. Additionally, use of a thermally managed material may reduce the crosstalk length.

The electrostatic chuck 150 may be used to support a substrate such as a wafer during a plasma etch process, a plasma clean process, or other process that uses plasma. Accordingly, an outer perimeter 216 of the thermally conductive base 164 may be coated with a plasma resistant layer 238. In some embodiments, a surface of the electrostatic puck 166 is also coated with the plasma resistant layer 238. The plasma resistant layer 238 may be a deposited or sprayed ceramic such as Y₂O₃ (yttria or yttrium oxide), Y₄Al₂O₉ (YAM), Al₂O₃ (alumina) Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG), YAlO3(YAP), SiC (silicon carbide), Si₃N₄ (silicon nitride), Sialon, AlN (aluminum nitride), AlON (aluminum oxynitride), TiO₂ (titania), ZrO₂ (zirconia), TiC (titanium carbide), ZrC (zirconium carbide), TiN (titanium nitride), TiCN (titanium carbon nitride) Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ), and so on. The plasma resistant layer may also be a ceramic composite such as Y₃Al₅O₁₂ distributed in Al₂O₃ matrix, a Y₂O₃—ZrO₂ solid solution or a SiC—Si₃N₄ solid solution. The plasma resistant layer may also be a ceramic composite that includes a yttrium oxide (also known as yttria and Y₂O₃) containing solid solution. For example, the plasma resistant layer may be a ceramic composite that is composed of a compound Y₄Al₂O₉ (YAM) and a solid solution Y₂-xZr_(x)O₃ (Y₂O₃—ZrO₂ solid solution). Note that pure yttrium oxide as well as yttrium oxide containing solid solutions may be doped with one or more of ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, B₂O₃, Er₂O₃, Nd₂O₃, Nb₂O₅, CeO₂, Sm₂O₃, Yb₂O₃, or other oxides. Also note that pure Aluminum Nitride as well as doped Aluminum Nitride with one or more of ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, B₂O₃, Er₂O₃, Nd₂O₃, Nb₂O₅, CeO₂, Sm₂O₃, Yb₂O₃, or other oxides may be used. Alternatively, the protective layer may be sapphire or MgAlON.

The plasma resistant layer may be produced from a ceramic powder or a mixture of ceramic powders. For example, the ceramic composite may be produced from a mixture of a Y₂O₃ powder, a ZrO₂ powder and an Al₂O₃ powder. The ceramic composite may include Y₂O₃ in a range of 50-75 mol %, ZrO₂ in a range of 10-30 mol % and Al₂O₃ in a range of 10-30 mol %. In one embodiment, the ceramic composite contains approximately 77% Y₂O₃, 15% ZrO₂ and 8% Al₂O₃. In another embodiment, the ceramic composite contains approximately 63% Y₂O₃, 23% ZrO₂ and 14% Al₂O₃. In still another embodiment, the ceramic composite contains approximately 55% Y₂O₃, 20% ZrO₂ and 25% Al₂O₃. Relative percentages may be in molar ratios. For example, the ceramic composite may contain 77 mol % Y₂O₃, 15 mol % ZrO₂ and 8 mol % Al₂O₃. Other distributions of these ceramic powders may also be used for the ceramic composite.

During processing in a plasma rich environment, arcing may be caused inside of the thermal isolators 234, 235, 236. To avoid such arcing, the thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 may be filled with a thermally resistive dielectric material such as silicone or an organic bond material. Additionally or alternatively, tops of the thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 may be covered by an electrically conductive film 237. The electrically conductive film 237 preferably has poor thermal conductivity to minimize thermal crosstalk between thermal zones. Accordingly, the electrically conductive film may be very thin and/or may have a grid or wire mesh pattern. The electrically conductive film may have a thickness of about 200 to about 800 microns in some embodiments. In one embodiment, the electrically conductive film is an aluminum alloy (e.g., T6061) and has a thickness of about 500 microns (e.g., about 0.020 inches). Alternatively, the electrically conductive film may be other metals or other electrically conductive materials. The electrically conductive film 237 may prevent arcing within the thermal isolators 234. The electrically conductive film 237 may conform approximately to the shape of the thermal isolator 234, 235, 236 that is covers.

In one embodiment, the thermally conductive base 164 includes an encapsulated material 113 near or at the upper surface (e.g., where the thermally conductive base interfaces with the bond 212 and/or electrostatic puck 166). The encapsulated material 113 may have an anisotropic thermal conductivity. The material 113 may be a thermally managed material embedded in the thermally conductive base 164, the thermally managed material having different thermal conductive properties along a first direction and a second direction. Various bonding technologies may be used to bond the thermally managed material, such as diffusion bonding, flash bonding, lamination, soldering and brazing.

The encapsulated or embedded material 113 may be oriented in such a way that the material 113 has good thermal conductivity (e.g., around 1500 Watts/m-K) along the perimeter of the thermally conductive base and good thermal conductivity in the vertical direction (e.g., normal to a surface of the thermally conductive base), but has poor thermal conductivity (e.g., less than about 20 Watts/m-K) in the radial direction of the electrostatic chuck. Such an embedded material 113 can reduce crosstalk in the radial direction between thermal zones. In one embodiment, the embedded material 113 is a high thermal conductivity thermally pyrolytic graphite layer. In one embodiment, the thermally managed material is covered with an aluminum cover. The pyrolytic graphite may include highly oriented graphene stacks in bulk manufactured from thermal decomposition of hydrocarbon gas in a high temperature, chemical vapor deposition reactor. Examples of a high thermal conductivity thermally pyrolytic graphite include TC1050® Composite and TPG® by Momentive™. In one embodiment, the embedded material is encapsulated with coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)-matched alloys or other materials.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating crosstalk between thermal zones of some example electrostatic chucks. A horizontal axis measures distance from a center of a wafer in millimeters, and a vertical axis measures temperature in degrees Centigrade. A first line 395 and second line 310 show a crosstalk length of approximately 20 mm for conventional electrostatic chucks, where the crosstalk length is the minimum separation distance between two thermal zones to maintain a desired temperature difference (e.g., a difference between 25° C. and 15° C. in the illustrated example). In one embodiment, the crosstalk length is defined as the length to go from 10% to 90% of temperature transmission. A third line 315 shows a crosstalk length of approximately 8.4 mm for an electrostatic chuck having thermal isolators as shown in FIG. 2 and an AlN electrostatic puck 166 with a thickness of 5 mm A fourth line 320 shows a crosstalk length of approximately 6 mm for an electrostatic chuck having thermal isolators as shown in FIG. 2 and an AlN electrostatic puck 166 with a thickness of 1 mm. In some embodiments, the electrostatic puck is AlN, has a thickness of approximately 1-5 mm and has a crosstalk length of approximately 6-8.4 mm. Other thicknesses and/or ceramic materials (e.g., Al₂O₃) may be used for electrostatic pucks.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with one embodiment. The electrostatic chuck includes multiple thermal isolators 415, which may correspond to thermal isolators 234, 235, 236 of FIG. 2. As shown, the thermal isolators 415 may be routed around helium delivery holes 410 and lifter pin holes 405. Additionally, or alternatively, there may be breaks in the thermal isolators 415 where they would otherwise intersect with the lifter pin holes 405 and/or the helium delivery holes 410. Additionally, the thermal isolators may be discontinuous due to other features within the electrostatic chuck, such as mounting holes, electrodes, and so forth. The helium holes may deliver helium to different heat transfer zones on the electrostatic puck. The different heat transfer zones may be thermally isolated, and may each be filled with helium (or other backside gas) during processing to improve heat transfer between the electrostatic chuck and a chucked substrate. Having multiple heat transfer zones in the electrostatic puck may further improve an ability to fine tune temperature control of a chucked substrate.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 5 shows conduits 226, 228, 230, 232 in different thermal zones on the electrostatic chuck. As shown, the conduits and thermal zones that contain them are approximately concentric within the electrostatic chuck. The conduits are routed around features of the electrostatic chuck such as mounting holes, lifter pin holes, helium holes, electrodes, and so forth. Arrows show the direction of flow of cooling fluid within the conduits 226, 228, 230, 232. Coolant may flow through the conduits 226, 228, 230, 232 in a bi-directional pattern to improve temperature uniformity within the thermal zones. In one embodiment, the conduits have fins to increase a contact surface area between the conduits and the thermally conductive base that the conduits route through. As shown, conduit 232 is actually a set of three separate conduits that in one embodiment are connected to the same temperature controller (e.g., to the same set point chiller). However, in an alternative embodiment, the separate conduits may each be connected to different set point chillers. This may enable fine tuning of temperature within different regions of a single thermal zone.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional side view of an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with one embodiment. Thermal isolators 234, 235 and 236 are shown. In the illustrated embodiment, thermal isolators 234 and 235 are located above mounting holes 620. Accordingly, the depth of the thermal isolators 234 and 235 is relatively shallow. In one embodiment, the depth of the thermal isolators 234, 235 is about ⅛ inches to about ¼ inches. Alternatively, the thermal isolators may be deeper or shallower. Thermal isolator 236 is not located above any mounting holes. Accordingly, thermal isolator 236 is has a greater depth, than thermal isolators 234 and 235. In some embodiments, the thermal isolator 236 may have a depth that is about 60%-90% of the total thickness of the cooling base. In one embodiment, the thermal isolator 236 has a depth that is approximately 75% of the total thickness of the cooling base.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional side view of an electrostatic chuck assembly stack 700. The electrostatic chuck assembly stack 700 includes an electrostatic chuck 150 (also referred to as an electrostatic chuck assembly) bolted to an insulation plate (e.g., a rexolite plate or other plastic plate) 705, which provides electrical isolation from the underneath grounded hardware (e.g., from the rest of the electrostatic chuck assembly stack. The insulation plate 705 is in turn bolted to a facilities plate 710 from underneath. The main purpose of facilities plate is to provide structural support for insulation plate 705 and provide multiple coolant channels at the edge of the ESC cooling plate. A cathode base plate 715 is also bolted to a chamber body 720 from underneath. The cathode base plate 715 provides routing for the multiple cooling channels from incoming chiller connections to the components of ESC subsystem above it. The cathode base plate 715 also provides structural support at the bottom of a chamber to mount the ESC on the top. The facilities plate 710 is configured to have mounting holes that are externally accessible from above. Accordingly, the facilities plate 710 can be bolted to the cathode base plate 715 from above. This may significantly simplify installation and removal of a stack including the electrostatic chuck 150, plastic plate 705 and facilities plate 710 from a chamber as compared to traditional stack configurations.

FIG. 8 illustrates a process 800 for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. At block 805 of process 800, a thermally conductive base having conduits therein is formed. The conduits are formed by a milling process, with subsequent brazing or e-beam welding to provide vacuum integrity. For example, the thermally conductive base may be two parts, and a milling process may be performed to form the conduits in one or both of the parts. These parts may then be bonded together to form a single thermally conductive base. The thermally conductive base may be an aluminum, aluminum allow, stainless steel or other metal base having a disc-like shape. Alternatively, the thermally conductive base may be formed from other thermally conductive materials. At block 810, thermal isolators are formed in the thermally conductive base. The thermal isolators may be formed by machining the thermally conductive base from the upper surface of the thermally conductive base to form multiple voids. The voids may be approximately concentric voids. The voids may have approximately uniform depths or may have varying depths. In one embodiment, the voids are approximately vertical trenches extending from the upper surface of the thermally conductive base that extend towards (but not completely to) the lower surface of the thermally conductive base. In some embodiments, the voids are filled with an organic bond material, a silicone, or another material with low thermal conductivity. Alternatively, the voids may be sealed to vacuum, or may be vented to air.

In one embodiment, at block 815 the thermal isolators are covered with thin electrically conductive films. Various techniques may be used to form or place the films over the thermal isolators. For example, the thermally conductive base may be masked so that only areas above the thermal isolators are exposed by a mask. An electrically conductive coating may then be deposited (e.g., by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic monolayer deposition (ALD), etc.) on the thermally conductive base. The coating could be in the form of metal film, foil, or conductive metal oxide films such as Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO).

In one embodiment, at block 820 a thermally managed material such as those discussed above is embedded into the thermally conductive base at or near an upper surface of the thermally conductive base. For example, a wafer or disc of the thermally managed material may be bonded to the upper surface, and may be covered by another material such as aluminum. Alternatively, a depression may be formed (e.g., machined) into the upper surface of the thermally conductive base. A disc or wafer of the thermally managed material having the shape of the formed depression may then be inserted into the depression and bonded to the thermally conductive base.

At block 825, the thermally conductive base is bonded to an electrostatic puck or other ceramic puck. The thermally conductive base may be bonded to the electrostatic puck by an organic bond material such as silicone.

The preceding description sets forth numerous specific details such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, and so forth, in order to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that at least some embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail or are presented in simple block diagram format in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. Particular implementations may vary from these exemplary details and still be contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” When the term “about” or “approximately” is used herein, this is intended to mean that the nominal value presented is precise within ±25%.

Although the operations of the methods herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operation may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct operations may be in an intermittent and/or alternating manner.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A substrate support assembly comprising: a ceramic puck; a thermally conductive base having an upper surface that is bonded to a lower surface of the ceramic puck, wherein a plurality of trenches are formed in the thermally conductive base approximately concentric around a center of the thermally conductive base, wherein the plurality of trenches extend from the upper surface towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base without contacting the lower surface of the thermally conductive base, and wherein the thermally conductive base comprises a plurality of thermal zones; and a thermally insulating material disposed in the plurality of trenches, wherein the thermally insulating material in a trench of the plurality of trenches provides a degree of thermal isolation between two of the plurality of thermal zones separated by the trench at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.
 2. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive base comprises a plurality of conduits, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is disposed in a corresponding thermal zone without contacting the upper surface and without contacting the thermally insulating material.
 3. The substrate support assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is fluidly coupled to a fluid source to circulate a temperature regulating fluid through the corresponding thermal zone.
 4. The substrate support assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is connected via a corresponding fluid delivery line to a corresponding refrigeration unit.
 5. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive base comprises a plurality of conduits, wherein each of the plurality of trenches is disposed between first and second corresponding conduits of the plurality of conduits without contacting the first and second corresponding conduits.
 6. The substrate support assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is to control temperature of a corresponding portion of the ceramic puck proximate the corresponding thermal zone, wherein the thermally insulating material disposed in the plurality of trenches provides reduced crosstalk between two of the plurality of thermal zones at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.
 7. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the thermally insulating material comprises silicone.
 8. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the thermally insulating material comprises an organic bond material.
 9. A method comprising: forming a thermally conductive base having an upper surface that is to be bonded to a lower surface of a ceramic puck; forming a plurality of trenches in the upper surface of the thermally conductive base approximately concentric around a center of the thermally conductive base, wherein the plurality of trenches extend from the upper surface towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base without contacting the lower surface of the thermally conductive base, and wherein the thermally conductive base comprises a plurality of thermal zones; and filling the plurality of trenches with a thermally insulating material, wherein the thermally insulating material in a trench of the plurality of trenches provides a degree of thermal isolation between two of the plurality of thermal zones separated by the trench at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising milling the thermally conductive base to form conduits in the thermally conductive base.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming of the plurality of trenches comprises machining the thermally conductive base from the upper surface of the thermally conductive base to form the plurality of trenches.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising covering the thermally insulating material in the plurality of trenches with an electrically conductive film.
 13. A thermally conductive base for an electrostatic chuck, the thermally conductive base comprising: a plurality of thermal zones, wherein the plurality of thermal zones are approximately concentric; and an upper surface forming a plurality of trenches approximately concentric around a center of the thermally conductive base, wherein the plurality of trenches extend from the upper surface towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base without contacting the lower surface of the thermally conductive base, wherein a thermally insulating material is disposed in the plurality of trenches, and wherein the thermally insulating material in a trench of the plurality of trenches provides a degree of thermal isolation between two of the plurality of thermal zones separated by the trench at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.
 14. The thermally conductive base of claim 13, wherein the thermally conductive base comprises a plurality of conduits, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is disposed in a corresponding thermal zone without contacting the upper surface and without contacting the thermally insulating material.
 15. The thermally conductive base of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is fluidly coupled to a fluid source to circulate a temperature regulating fluid through the corresponding thermal zone.
 16. The thermally conductive base of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is connected via a corresponding fluid delivery line to a corresponding refrigeration unit.
 17. The thermally conductive base of claim 13, wherein the thermally conductive base comprises a plurality of conduits, wherein each of the plurality of trenches is disposed between first and second corresponding conduits of the plurality of conduits without contacting the first and second corresponding conduits.
 18. The thermally conductive base of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is to control temperature of a corresponding portion of a ceramic puck proximate the corresponding thermal zone, wherein the thermally insulating material disposed in the plurality of trenches provides reduced crosstalk between two of the plurality of thermal zones at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.
 19. The thermally conductive base of claim 13, wherein the thermally insulating material comprises silicone.
 20. The thermally conductive base of claim 13, wherein the thermally insulating material comprises at least one of an organic bond material. 